halloween night

this year was fun, frightful, and everything halloween should be! (my only regret was that we didn't carve pumpkins) my mom flew into town yesterday morning. she wore her costume off the plane - fun!

so this is the motley crew halloween night:
(from left to right: my mom- peggy - polka-dot witch, kyle - the jedi, noah - the would be robot, turned metallic jedi, ben- the creepy grim reaper, stephan - the '70's ladies man, groove-miester extrodianaire!)


the first house of the night! so i want to point out the evolution of noah's costume...he started out as the above metallic jedi. then evolved to a pumpkin head metallic jedi.


then stole my moms witch costume. as he called it the witch in the ditch.

then stole stephans wig and glasses to be, well, a disco robot man??

and then i couldn't resist torturing the dog a bit. he kept sweeping it off with his paw...poor tolerant sammy.

it was kind of ridiculous how much candy the boys brought home. we just dumped it all in one BIG, HUGE, HEAVY box!!!

random memory

the other day i was listening to a death cab for cutie song - which i'm sorry to say i can't remember the name of right now. but in it there is a line that says : "catholic school, vicious as golden rule. i had my knuckles bruised by a lady in black." i smiled to myself as i remembered my days in catholic school. i spent quite a few of my early elementary years in a couple different catholic schools. my experiences weren't really bad, except that i was painfully shy. like, sat by myself every day, shy. that really had nothing to do with catholic school though. it was just made worse by the fact that it was incredibly clique-ish. these kids had grown up together and didn't readily let outsiders in. this one particular school was in burlingame, ca. if you aren't familiar with this town, let me paint you a picture: set in the hills outside of san francisco it is a very affluent community. the houses were ALL amazing. no cookies cutter, suburban type homes here. more like old mansions. all of them. the house we lived in was no different, albeit a bit haunted, but that's a different post. there was lots of old money, established families, and, it seemed to me, lots of catholic families (which is the religion i grew up practicing). in this school there was a parish set right on the school grounds, complete with a priest and nuns. in seventh grade, well all through my schools years, i struggled terribly with math. of course i felt i was the only one, and in truth, i might have been. i was the only one who got to go with the nun during math for tutoring. i was taken into an empty classroom with this woman. she was actually very kind, when she wasn't tutoring me! she had to be in her eighties - at least. and she always - ALWAYS had coffee. as she tutored me she would go into these coughing fits and as a result little splats of coffee would appear on my paper. she would take her wrinkled, arthritic-ridden hand and wipe (smudge) them into my paper. my paper was illegible by the time we were done. when she wasn't coughing and spitting coffee on my paper, and sometimes me, she was talking. nothing out of the ordinary with this, except for the fact that if you drink non-stop coffee your breath is equal to that of a toilet in need of cleaning. bad. i tried to chew gum to combat her dragon breath, but we weren't allowed to chew gum. so this only worked once. then i tried putting my head down when she spoke to me. this didn't last either. she thought i was being rude and demanded that i look at her when she was speaking to me. i can't hold my breath for long periods of time. i found this out during my tutored days with the nun. blast! so throughout all of seventh and part of eighth grade, for that hour during each weekday, my life was made miserable by a woman of the cloth. i mean no disrespect. none at all. like i said, she was very nice and as far as i could tell, a very good nun. i'm just saying.

he likes to have his picture taken...

sometimes he poses when he knows that i know he is posing. sometimes he thinks he is being sly and poses when he thinks i think he is being "natural". case in point:
obvious pose:


his "catalog look":
i mean, come on... is he four or twenty four??? we never know, it sort of depends!

feeling very domestic!

yesterday was a very "martha stewart" day for me. i love those days...don't you? i feel so accomplished and a bit clever too. i made two delicious recipes. the first were yummilicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. they are melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious! the second was banana bread. i got the recipe from my friend natalies blog. (so good, natalie...thanks for sharing!)
i did two loads of laundry. i know, it doesn't sound like much, but laundry is not my favorite chore, so i have to pat myself on the back ;)
and....i finished a quilt for my mom. when she saw the last one i made she requested one (in the comment section - followed up by a phone call). i really want to share the whole quilt with you all, but i don't want to completely ruin her surprise. it is one of my favorites. i added a few things here and there (stamped images with permanent ink). here are two little "teasers"......


sorry the following picture is so bad - the lighting was off and i had a really hard time getting the focus on the word with all those little folds of fabric. my camera was very confused!

by the way, i love this word lately. mostly due to president monsons talk in general conference. of course i had to incorporate it into my current projects!!


thank you all for your words of support with my pregnancy! i feel great - now. that may change. i am really tired. really tired! but i am so happy and feel so incredibly blessed to have this little life inside me! a privilege indeed.

i am.........

PREGNANT!! just found out, so i am only a couple of weeks along. but i am never one to hold onto such news. had to share.

tagged - time to learn more about me!

i've been tagged. this one is to list 7 random things about yourself. i love these things because they make you reveal yourself just a bit, and after all, this is a journal of sorts, no? i will want my kids to know these things too.



1) i have a really hard time accepting help/charity/service from others. i am more than willing to give it, and try to seek out opportunities to do so, but being on the receiving end is hard for me. and ASKING for help???? forget it! i have to reallllly have exhausted all my options before i do that. i have worthiness issues, i guess.

2) things that freak me out: grass (sitting on), frogs, most slimy things, being late. i seriously have a panic attack if i even think i will be late. i am always 10 minutes early (unless it's inappropriate to be that early - in which case i usually still am, i just park or drive around until the acceptable time arrives) if i am late, something is terribly wrong.

3) i twirl my hair when i am: bored, nervous, stressed/anxious or thinking. so, kind of all the time. stephan tells me my hair will fall out someday (because i am a really stressed out girl), but i can't seem to stop this bad habit.

4) no matter what i do i cannot limit my creative interests. i've tried to focus on one or two things. impossible. my mind is in constant motion, and to deny myself a certain creative outlet is like killing a big part of who i am.

5) when i was younger i was painfully shy. catholic school was really hard for me because it was so clique-ish. i would pretend to be sick as often as my mom would "fall" for it just to avoid school. when i got into high school i sort of grew out of this a bit, but in certain social situations i still have shy tendencies.

6) i was on my high school dance team, and was captain my senior year. we went to nationals and took third place that year. a far cry from the shy catholic school girl, huh! (dancing is something i dearly miss, and often dream about taking classes. maybe when time and money are more abundant)

7) if you see me without accessories (ie: jewelry, usually lots of it) there is something wrong, or i have just worked out. i love to wear jewelry! i love to make jewelry. i have an accessory addiction. one that i have no desire to cure, because i think i wouldn't be me without my jewelry! i will definitely be that old lady who wears a bit too many necklaces (they probably don't really even match), lots of bracelets, and fluffy pink hair. just mark my words.

enough said...

this is EXACTLY the experience most photographer have!!! am i right? oh, and for the record, when i am the "subject" i, too am saying the same thing. only it's usually: "man, i hate my double chin", or "my face looks fat lately".

weekend rundown...

* "all hallows eve" banner completed friday night. i handcut those letters on thursday while watching the vp debate. took forever! it's hard to see in this picture, but there is black glitter on top. * did a few halloween collages... just for fun, and just because it's one of my favorite things to do!

* another halloween collage.


* kyle had a baseball game on saturday. in this picture you can see the ball directly over his head (he hit a foul)

* he was catcher A LOT. my thighs hurt just watching him squat, stand up, squat, stand up.....good exercise (if you have the knees of a ten year old!!)

* ben enjoying the weekly "to go candy-goodie bag" brought by the grandparents. they come EVERY single week to watch kyle's game......from colorado springs!!! (about an hour or so long drive)

* noah enjoying....well, attention. he is very devoted to this hat these days. i call it his 'huck finn' hat. for obvious reasons.

* sunday: conference quiche. mmm.....a most yummy tradition we started about a year ago. every general conference (which is every six months) we have at least two yummy quiches made by stephan. well, i make the crust...i do like my crust recipe. this conference it was ham and cheese for the kids, and a veggie/bacon medley for the adults. ahh...they were delicious!

* 178th general conference for the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. i enjoyed it so much. i loved president monsons talks, but most especially his sunday morning session talk. it touched me deeply. it was exactly what i needed to hear. all of the speakers were wonderful, and brought such an amazing spirit. i am so thankful i was able to be spiritually fed.

Q is for.... quick quilt

on monday i started a quilt. a quilt that i actually had a dream about. whenever that happens i know i have to bring it into reality!

so this is what it looked like on monday.....

and this is what it looked like yesterday - finished!!

i don't know what my favorite part is....the fabulous houndstooth backing?...or maybe the funky individual squares (each fabric has a story all it's own)?...or maybe the fact that the denim squares are my sons old jeans?....or maybe it's that screamin' pink satin quilt binding? it's probably all of it, and the fact that this quilt came to me in a dream, and now i can cuddle up underneath it and 'dream' up more projects!!
i dearly love my "inspiration quilt"!!!!

FINISHED - Colorado Wild Women Duathalon!!!!!

.
woo hoo! i did it. i survived. i am stronger than before (at least mentally). my friend erin and i did this duathalon together and loved it. i won't lie and say that i had a smile on my face the whole time. in fact, the bike part of it kicked my butt - hard! i wasn't expecting that, because i usually fair pretty well on a bike. but, as you can see in these first couple of pictures, the whole ride was hilly. and the way back was pretty much ALL uphill. ugh. serious ugh, sigh, pant, and heave! yes, i almost threw up. (that's me...the tiny pink dot!!)me - in pink!
and my backside, chuggin' up that dang hill. doing lots of "self-motivation" at this point, just to stay on the bike.

here is the transition area where you leave you bike (and gear) and take off on the run portion of the race. of course i forgot where we were parked and dumbly stood in the middle for quite some time, looking rather lost, feeling very stupid. and then, aha, there we are! okay, back in business.
at this point i can see the finish line, and so a tiny smile appeared on my weary lips (every square inch of me was weary by now). oh, and i could hear my "cheering" section: stephan, ben, kyle, noah, eric (erin's hubby) and her son logan, and erin who had finished about 7 minutes before me.

right after i crossed the finish line. i was downing water like nobody's business! and my face is that red not only from the sun, but from every blood vessel screaming out! but, oh so worth it!
erin and i. i was seriously so happy and proud in this moment! definitely one i will keep in my mind as i train for my next venture!!! :) this stuff is addictive!

thanks, erin for a great day of duathaloning together!!!

scrapbook/art journal share

yesterday i started working on my "summer 2008" scrapbook. i picked the best moments (88 of them!) of our summer, and will put them in a scrapbook according to the 'chapters' they fall under. i don't do this as a rule for all my scrapbooking. (i've been asked what my method is) i just go with the flow. however i feel at that moment. whatever pictures i want to scrap are the ones i scrap. it's totally random, but i get the best results doing it this way. i did 6 pages yesterday, here are two:

for super saturday a few weeks ago (at church) we made decorated journals. i can NEVER have enough journals. i currently have about 5 (seriously) that i write/draw/paste/play in. this one was no exception, and has turned in to yet another art journal.
i thought i would share a few entries. the first one is definitely my motto. i totally live by the 'code'!!
it's always fun to peek into the lives of others, no? (click on the picture to enlarge and be able to read)


i am still trying to think of what my other roots are. am i forgetting something major? i feel like i am.

sunday baking

i think a yummy tradition is in the making...sunday baking. we (all of us helped here and there) made SIX loaves of bread yesterday! two white and four wheat.

of course some tasting was in order as soon as they came out of the oven. i only wish photos could capture smells too. our house smelled divine last night! and yes, they taste as good as they look. hours of hard work and waiting paid off deliciously.

passion for scouting

a few months ago i was called (in our church you get callings, or "jobs") to be the cub scout wolf den leader. for those of you who don't know, the wolves are the 8 year old boys. two out of three of my boys are in the scouting program, so i believe that me receiving this calling was definitely the Lords will. at first i felt a bit lost because there is so much to know! but on saturday i went to the new leader training. ....
i am officially on FIRE!! totally in love with this great program called boy/cub scouts! i want to be the best den leader i can possibly be. i want to motivate my own boys to get their eagle (the highest honor a boy can earn in the scouting program). i feel thus far that i have let them down a little bit. i haven't been the most supportive scouting parent. they have missed many meetings. so much so that kyle did not earn his own wolf badge. (he has since gone on to earn his bear, and is working on his webelos badge)
ben is in boy scouts now and has earned his tenderfoot. he is close to getting his second class, and with a little nudging from me he will have that soon! i believe as a scout, both of them need to be self-motivated to obtain their ranks. however, they are 10 and 12, and therefore easily distracted by other boy things. it will probably be even harder once they fully embark into their teenage years. BUT - i will keep them on track!! i just believe it is that important!! a life-changing program, for sure.

i feel so blessed that Heavenly Father has put me in this calling. i know it is inspired. i know i was meant to serve in this great organization, and i hope to stay in it for a long time. i not only want to inspire and uplift my own boys, but the boys in my den as well. i feel i have been given a certain stewardship over these guys, and i want to rise to that awesome station. i know, without a doubt, that the scouting program is what this world needs to produce young men that are able to lift us up where we should be. it instills important and vital values, seemingly lost to our society.
for those of you that have boys, look forward to this awesome program!!!
okay, now is the time i step off my soap box. thank you for your attention. ;)

"In all of this, it is spirit that matters. Our scout law & promise, when we really put them into practice, take away all occasion for wars & strife among nations."
~Sir Robert Baden-Powell (founder of Boy Scouts, 1857-1941)

hooked. just a little bit.

first off, i want to thank y'all! you are so kind and wonderful and your sweet comments have put the biggest smile on my face! you rock!! i really do have the best friends - evah!


okay. so...i find myself eating my subconscious words. about digital scrapbooking. you know, being, well, not for me. i am still faithful to my first love, 'tangible scrapbooking'. but i will cheat on this love from time to time with digi scrapping. it's just this new, fun, unexplored world! far too tempting to be ignored. so, here you have the fruits of my first day of discovery:

oh, and stacey...thank you! you have officially rocked my world with your digi-tips!

fall is in the air...

yes it's true...fall is, by far,my favorite season! the colder weather is exhilarating (to me, anyway) as is the changing of the leaves, the smell of the air, pie, pumpkin (everything), halloween. i could seriously go on and on. so, in the spirit of this lovely season, i thought i would whip up an apple pie! actually it was a joint effort between myself and hubbie. he made the filling and i made the crust. it was delicious, but would have met perfection with vanilla ice cream. oh well. next time, i guess.


i made the pie for this guy:

he has been begging me for quite some time for an apple pie. tonight, he got his yummy wish fulfilled!



one another note, i have been away from the blog for a little over a week. i haven't been any busier than usual, i guess i've just been trying to sort some things out. things like what the heck i am supposed to do with myself - creatively speaking. i did not make the scrap 'n art design team. that was a harder blow than i thought it would be. i wanted it. but more than that, i wanted a direction. i feel like so many things that i have put my energy into have not panned out, or have flat out failed. in my heart (and believe me i've searched it a lot lately) i feel my passion lies mainly in photography. i am passionate about everything i make and do, but when it comes to taking pictures, especially of people, i light up. i love - no - i need to be behind the camera. i find myself wanting it with me always. to be able to capture any spontaneous moment. and so, i think photography is where i will put all my energy. really give it a go, as i've never done before. professionally.

dipping my feet in the digital scrapbooking waters...

i have always been in resistance to the digital movement. i am a "gotta feel and touch it" kind of gal. i need the tangible. i would not call this a scrapbook page, per se, but i did play with some digital elements with this collage. it was frustrating. it made me grumpy. i snapped at my family as i was deep in concentration making it. some of the elements i wanted to add are not on here. i couldn't figure out that dumb move tool. sigh. argh. hmph. a bit defeated, but i guess it's something, and it's a start. i need someone to show me. plain and simple. i can't read adobe help. it only adds to my frustration. i am a immediate, instant-gratification type. hence, needing a warm body to be here showing me, helping me. so HELP!! i know there are a few of you out there that are digi-masters. i want to step inside your elite circle. i'm not promising to join your team permanently, but i will dabble. any willing, brave souls???? i promise to play nice, and not be grumpy or snappish! :)

out on a limb...

well, once again i've put myself out on a limb. creatively, anyway. i have tried out for scrap 'n art's design team. i won't lie and say that i'm not on pins and needles waiting to hear back. (though the design team call is through 9/15, so i have some time still) i have never been very confident in any of my creative endeavors. reference: my etsy shop!
my scrapbooking is no exception. nevertheless, here i am, out there, trying out, and nervous as can be.

here are the layouts i submitted.......





this final layout is incredibly personal. but, i believe that those feelings need to be chronicled as well as the good feelings. it is about ryan. it has become one of my favorite layouts.

wish me luck! :)